Choosing Sides

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I stood up and moved on.

The next morning there was a bloodbath on the street, and I was sitting in John's room with nothing to do but stare at the wall. I was a bit surprised. He was greasy and hairy, and he resembled a dirty old dog with a hole in his nose. His eyes, too, were bloodshot and dull. He had a deep scar on the back of his head, and it was covered with a thick bandage of black gray hair. He was wearing a crisp red shirt with the collar down and the sleeves rolled up. I remembered seeing a photograph of him in New York, in a picture taken a few years earlier when he was twenty-one. He had appeared in a picture taken by one of my friends, and I had seen him now a few times in the city.

It was one of those pictures where you could see from the front that he had been fighting an old enemy: the Big Foot. But the image had been taken earlier and had been altered.

The stain was not quite as deep as it was on John's face when he died, but the old scar still showed through.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but it was too late. John managed to throw his arms around him and pull away with the dignity of a professional wrestler. I watched him bleed out over his shirt and then I saw him bleed out over his face.

"You have a beautiful face, John," Jane said. "You don't have to worry about it." She ran her hand down his jaw.

Now he was groaning with pain. He looked like a horse for the first time. His chin had been brought down to a level with his chin. His legs had been stretched out, and he was struggling to stand. He had a torn gash on his forehead, and he was holding his head with one hand as he looked into the mirror. Jane's eyes were closed, and her hands were clenched in her lap. She had shaved her legs and her face was bald. John looked sad, and Jane had seen him cry in a previous meeting.

"Look at you," she said. "You were dead and gone when we met. Now you're younger and stronger. You're the man I had been hoping for. I'm sorry."

It wasn't the first time Jane had paid a price for her pride, but she never allowed it to carry over to John. She was a woman of her word, and she would never cheat on her husband.

"I'll tell you what," she said. "John isn't dead."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he was thinking, "That's not fair!"

I was on my way to my favorite opera house in New York, where I had a nice, clean apartment. I was wearing a striped dress with a pink skirt. I was wearing nothing but a nightgown. I was sitting on a stool with a cigar in my mouth and a cigarette in my hand.

I'm sitting there watching the movie, which is called "The Bells."

"I don't think that Jane got away," I said. "She was so angry."

"I'd like to think she was right," I said. "I was lonely and stupid and didn't know where to turn. I got up and walked across the street, and I looked at Jane and thought, 'I'm going to kill her.'

"But I didn't kill her, and I didn't get away. I got to see her again, and she was there."

"What makes you think she didn't see me?" I asked, looking down at my cigar.

"She didn't see me," said I. "I killed her, and she didn't see me. She knew me well enough to know that I was the one who did it, but she saw me and liked me. What did she think? I don't know."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he wished he could get back into the fight with her.

I didn't see him for a couple days later when he came home from his work. I saw him on TV again, in a bottle of champagne, or in a fancy suit, or a silk slouch, or a buxom woman with a dog. I saw him in a mirror with a cigar on his lips and a mustache. He was looking at me with a suspicious expression, and I saw that he had a dark patch on his forehead.

"You're saying that I'm a fool?" he said.

"I'm not," I said. "I'm not. I don't care what I look like. I don't like to be a fool. I don't like to be mistaken for a fool."

"Well, if you are a fool, then you must be a fool," he said, "and if you are a fool, then you must do something about it." He turned to leave. "What do you know about the course of my life," he said, "and what do you know about me?"

"I've heard that you're very rich," I said. "But you've never told me what you paid me to take out."

"Yes, I have," he said.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he was going to insist he didn't take it seriously.

"I hate drama. If you don't hate drama, you have no reason to be in the police. You're a policeman. You'll answer to me."

"I'll answer to you," said John. "You're a policeman. You're in charge."

"I'm not going to answer to you, because you're not in charge," said Jane. "I am your friend. I'm just a policeman."

"You ain't got a job to do," said John.

"I'll do it," said Jane. "If he wants a job, he'll get one."

"But if he doesn't want one, he'll be a policeman," said John. "You can't quit. You've got your own man."

"I'll do it, if I can get him," said Jane.

"But Jane, if you don't want to have to quit, you have no right to tell me where I can find a job to take me. It's not my business. I don't want any job. I'll do as well as I can."

"Then you'll just have to tell me where I can find it," said Jane. "I'll wait for your reply, and then when you've got it, I'll give it to you."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but she was just too eager to get into it herself. It took me a great deal of courage, but I swallowed that whole bunch of pettiness like a good soldier.

"And now," I said with a grin, "I've got you on my side. You're a man of the people, and you've done just fine."

"Of course I've done well!" he said, and I was just about to say something about his status as a soldier when I heard that his wife was in bed, and that she was in as good a condition as could be expected, and that she was a very good wife. I was sure that, whatever her faults, she was the sort of wife who would think twice before stooping to the exercise of personal domination.

"So," I said, "you're going to have to do it, John. You've got to see what kind of a man you can be."

"But I don't want to be a man," he said. "I'm afraid I'd rather be a soldier."

"Why not?" I said, and then I said, "You know what it is, John, and you'll have to tell me about it."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I thought she was so gentle that she relaxed their lips. Apparently she wasn't. When she left, she stood there staring at me with her eyes closed. She was black and she seemed to me to be ready to fight.

"Your beauty is your downfall," Jane told me. "You've got no discernible charm, no charm to speak of. You're a little like an old man with an old face, and the way you gaze at Jane is a very old one."

"Yes, well, I've got a great nose for a nose," I said. "I've got something about them, too."

"You're better than you think," she said. "I don't see you as a man, but I see you as a woman. When I saw you, I thought you were a woman."

"I was a woman," I said. "But you know what I think?"

"I think I'll be a man."

"Oh, don't you want to be a man?"

"No, I don't. I don't want to be an old man."

"Then we'll have to get out of here," Jane said. "We'll have to find somewhere else."

"We'll have to find our own way to heaven," I said. "We'll find the way out of here. We'll find the way out of this house."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't protest.

"I don't want to make out with you," he said. His hands were clenched against his sides and he looked heavy and steel. "I don't want to let you down."

"I'm not finished with you, Mr. Carlin," Jane said. "You're not going to believe what I think of you."

He was stiff and his face was grim. He didn't look like he was in a good mood.

"I don't want to marry you," Jane said. "I can't."

"I know." He took a deep breath. "You know that I enjoy it when you're around, don't you?"

"I do," Jane said. "When you're around me, I can't help it."

"And when you're around me, you don't want to be away from me," she added. "Even if you were to give up this life, you would still love me as you do."

"I do," he said. "But I haven't given up."

"I don't know that," she said. "I may not know how to explain it. But you don't want to give up, do you?"

"I do," he said. "I really don't want to leave you."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I didn't let her get away.

"I'll have you know that I have a very good friend, a very talented man, John, who lives with me in our house. He's a very durable gentleman. He's a very good housekeeper. He is very industrious, and he has a fine collection of books. He's a man of great intelligence, and he's very accomplished in his business, too. He was a very good fellow in college, too, and only a very weak student in English.

"He was my friend from college, and he was my friend from college, too. He came to me for a grave. He was a very fine gentleman, and I hesitate to say that he is a gentleman who would be proud of himself. He was a man of remarkable genius and of great fortitude. He is a very worthy fellow.

"He is married to a beautiful lady. I believe she should be congratulated for her husband.

"I was with my friends, and we were all very merry, but I think it was just my friend who found the housekeeper's hat in the house.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he was right back. I was laughing, but I couldn't look away from him.

"I'll show you where I got my nose done on my father's side," he said.

"You're going to have to take him down, then," I said. "We'll see what happens after that."

We had come to a dead end. There was another side to the street, and in front of us, John had stopped to get a good look at us.

"I never tire of seeing you in the streets," he said.

"I never tire of seeing you," I said.

"And I never tire of watching your face," he said. "But I've got a feeling that you will be likely to get some of the first blows you can dish out."

"And I have a feeling that you will be unlikely to be the last man to get hit. It's a game you can win," I said.

"But it's not a game I can lose," he said. But he kept his eyes on us. He looked like he wanted to hit us, but he was holding back. I had no doubt he would, if he could.

"But you would not put a stop to it," I said. "You would not let it last."

"You wouldn't, dear boy," he said.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but John had enough strength to throw her to the floor. He pulled her hair back and pulled her down into the bed with him. He'd got a good look at her breasts and felt her nipples harden under his gaze.

"We're going to kill her," he said, and then gasped. "I don't think I've ever seen a man so eager to kill a woman." He pulled his gun out and knocked Jane across the face, knocking her into the bed. It was a hard blow, but Jane was a strong woman, and she took it. She stood up and dropped to her knees, and John burst into tears, holding her. He knew there was nothing he could say to her, but he had no choice.

He turned the bed over in his hands and stared down at her face. She was pale, her lips stained with tears, and her hair was splayed across her belly. She was naked. He knew there was no way he could hide from her now, but he knew that she was desperate. She could not resist now, and she was determined that he would kill her.

"We'll have to make her live on the street," he said, and then he went back to leaning against the edge of the bed and rubbing his eyes.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but after that she ran off into the night with her dog, leaving John alone with a notebook, which he began to scribble out before he could turn the page.

"I've never seen John again," Jane said. "He's a man who doesn't know his own mind."

"Ronald's a good man, but he's a man too," I said. "He's been around for many years, and he's made his own way as a man. I'm not going to throw him out."

Jane sighed. "He'll find a new place for himself, Ron. He'll have a home, and he'll take care of his dog, but he'll have his old regiment of soldiers with him."

"I understand," I said. "I'll put my money where my mouth is."

"He'll be well enough to take care of himself," she said. "But he won't be very well liked."

"Then he won't make it," I said. "It's not his fault that he has to have a regiment of soldiers with him."

"No, it's not," she said. "He's got a lot of it to lose, and he's going to lose it. Ron, I'm afraid I must confess that there's something less than my usual contempt for your kind of movement that makes me feel quite uneasy about this."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he responded with a fist to the ribs. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Well, I was about to say that I thought you were a very bad man," John said. "But I'm afraid I don't know you. I mean, I think we've met a few times, but there's nothing much that I can remember about you."

"Then why did you take such good care of him?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I know that if I kept him, we'd have a pretty good family. There's no doubt about that."

"Oh, you know me," Jane said. "I'm handsome, I have a very big house. I've got a wife and two children. But I'd rather have you in my house than in the house of the Devil."

"But what about Mary?"

"Oh, she's a fine woman, but she's not my wife."

"But she has a daughter," she said. "Will you marry her?"

"I would," John said, with a wry smile. "But, after all, you're a man of your word."

"You're a man of your word, but the Devil says that he'll get you killed."

John looked up from the deck and shrugged.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but it was only because she couldn't see the truth behind his actions. John's eyes were closed, and nothing could have scared him off. At least he could have made sure that Jane wasn't hurt.

John's response, however, was a far cry from anything that Jane had ever been witness to. He crawled forward and slapped her across the face. She rolled away, and they both fell to the floor.

"Well, John," Jane said, "he's probably going to lose his temper. Why don't you look at that."

John rolled his eyes. "Well, I'd rather be nude than to be slapped!" He grabbed the bedsheet and threw it over the bed. "And if you don't want me to, you might as well get down on one knee."

"Sure, John." Jane rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you'll be pleased with that."

John looked at Jane's face. "Why, Jane, how could you?"

"You're a drag," she said. "No one likes to be dragged around. You're handsome, but you're not particularly handsome."

"You have no idea what I've suffered through."

"... what?"

"I've been dragged round the world by you. You have no idea what you've done to me."

"You can't trust me!"

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't get up. He was too pissed off. I was watching him from the corner of my eye. It was the bloody face of the man who had killed my mother.

"John," I said, "I'm sorry. Did you steal my mother's life? I don't know anyone who'd do it. I should take it back, you know."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I stole it from you!"

"No," I said. "It was me."

There was a moment of silence, and then John asked me to see him.

I walked across the street, with him in the car behind me. John stood in the doorway as I approached.

"We're friends now," he said. "It's a nice apartment on the corner of Broadway and Union. I wasn't going to get away from you."

"Did you kill your mother?" I asked.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he just looked back at her, a look of amazement on his face. He didn't hang his head, don't know why he did.

There was a moment when Jane had to leave him in his place, and she had to walk him into the hotel room where she had taken him to sleep.

"You can't go anywhere if you're a man," she said. "If you're a woman, your husband's a man."

"If I were a man, I'd probably ask for a divorce," he said. "But I don't want to do that."

"It's not that I don't want a divorce," she said. "It's that I don't want to be a woman. I think it's better to live as a man than a woman, if I can help it."

"I'll help it," he said. "If I really want to be a woman, I'll probably change my mind."

"You'll never change your mind?" she said.

"No," he said. "I'll always be a man."

"I'll never be a woman!" she said, laughing. "I'm a woman, but I can't be a woman. I can't be a man, either."

"I'll never be a woman."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but John guarded his temper.

They were late for the meeting, and I was thinking of why I was going to be late. I had pretty much given up on the idea that we would ever meet again.

"I've got some ideas," said John.

"I can see what you mean," said Jane. "Just don't come to me and do it. I'll do it for you."

"I'll be glad to, I'll tell you," said John.

I waited, and waited, and waited. Then he went away, and I followed, but it was for nothing.

The next morning, I met up with Jane and her family, and we were out walking with a magazine in our hands.

"You know what you want," said Jane. "It's not for me to tell you. It's for you to decide. I think you have a pretty good idea of what to expect."

"I'm sure it is a one-way street," said Jane. "There's no way to get out. But if you let me go, I'll let you go as well, and I promise to forgive you if you do. I will give you a place to live, and I will do my best to help you get on your feet.

"But we're all in this together, and my life is one long fight."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't get up. He just stared at his drink and stared at me. I didn't know what to do. I knew I had to get out of there. I saw a policeman walking down the street and stopped.

"Hey, John," he said. "Just a question. Can you join me?"

Jane answered me with a shrug. "We'll see," she said. She stood up and walked off down the street.

"What I wanted," I said, "was a break from it."

The policeman threw me a glance. "I'm sure you can handle yourself on your own," he said. "I've done exactly that myself."

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"I'm just looking for a place to live," he said. "I won't be much help."

"Why not?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said, "why not."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't want to stand up. He didn't want to get kicked out of the house. He was just tired of being in a fight. He was tired of being on the run.

"I got away, and I'm very sorry about that," said he. "I was out on the streets and I didn't know what I was doing. I think I could have gotten out of it better if I had tried to get away."

"That's no light matter," said Jane.

"Well, it was all right then," said he. "So much of the world is gone and you have to go through it again. I think I'm going to have to get out of this before I get out of it. I don't know where I am going to go. I don't know what we'll do. I don't know how much of a man I am."

"I'll try to find out all that in time," said Jane.

"Well," said John, "you're going to have to get away from all that trouble. It's only a few months from now then, and I don't care to lose another one."

"No, this won't be that difficult."

"I'll be your friend," said Jane. "I want you to get on with it. It's only a matter of time."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but it was no fun."

"What did she say?"

"She said she didn't want to be him's wife, and that she wanted him to marry her."

"You heard her," said Johnny. "She doesn't know much about him."

"Oh, she knows much about him," said the woman with the dark hair, who had moved into a better place with her husband. "She's the one who taught him the hangover cure. And she's a real scrub, too. She worked the streets in the old days, and she's never been out with a man before. The man she married was an ex-warlock, and he lived in a big mansion in an old field town."

"And John said he couldn't be afraid of her," said Johnny. "That she would be a good husband for him."

"She was a hard woman at first," said Jane. "But then she got married to one of the real musicians who lived in that place, and they had their own son, and they had a big house in the old town. And she was a good wife, too, and John took her seriously in his marriage."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't seem phased. He was sitting right in front of me on the floor with his arms crossed.

"Please, John, don't you dare argue with me," said Jane. "You're not worth it."

"I don't believe so," John said. "You can't go home with me. You've got something to prove."

"It's not," said Jane. "I've got no problem with you being a man. Do you really want to go home with me, John?"

"No, Jane," he said. "I don't think I'm ready for it yet."

"Then let's get on with it," said Jane. "I'm sure you'll be very useful to me."

"It's not," said John. "No, I won't. I've got to get my own way. I've got a wife, and children, and I know what it's like to be a separate man. I'm not ready to take that place."

"You're not ready, John," said Jane. "You know this."

"Yes, I know," he said. "I've got a wife and children, and I've got to make mine and my wife's. I'm not ready for it. I want to be a man again, John."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but she didn't let go. John got his face smashed with her fist, and she was a very nasty woman.

"She never liked that she'd got me into trouble," Jane said. "One of the boys in our class had gotten her a share of her room."

"We don't think she's a troublemaker?"

"No," Jane said. "She's very nice to me."

"What is it about? You don't seem to be perturbed at all."

Jane was wearing a very tight black dress, and she had red hair and blue eyes. She said she had just returned from the war.

"I have seen what a lot of women have done to men," Jane said. "There is one. She's a very wise woman. I ask you who she is, but I don't know. She is the sister of my cousin. She is very nice, and I think she will try to make a gentle woman out of me. I've never had a chance to see her myself, but she is quite brilliant too, and she is a little like me in that respect. I really do think we are alike in that respect.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he wasn't going to be badgered.

"I'm always going to find someone who will support me," he said. "I'm not going to go to the wall for them. I'm never going to question their motives. I'm going to keep on doing what I do, and I'm going to do it as quietly as I can.

"We can still go to the balls, but it will be a long walk, and I don't even bother to go out. I'd rather stand out on my own two feet than walk around a city with my eyes closed."

"I thought you were going to ask me to come," Dean snorted.

"I'll get you to come," John said. "I'll probably stay ten or twenty minutes at the ready, and then you'll come walk me to my apartment, and we'll go to the bar, and we'll talk, and we'll drink and talk and write and whatever the hell we want."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he wouldn't let go. It was a hard thing to do, but I had to. If I didn't, I'd be out of the game.

The next three or four days were spent reading and writing, and I'd had a hell of a week. It was so much fun. I had no evidence of any cheating, but I was sure of one thing, that John had been just as close as I had been during my 'civil war', and that he had been a perfectly honest man.

I'm sure he felt that there was a lot of money in the house, and on one day he took me out for a night in his apartment and I invited him to come and stay with me. He'd inevitably come every evening, but sometimes he'd be away when I went to bed. I had a nice little room on the first floor, with a couch, a big lamp and a big bed. I had a chair and a sofa, and a bedside tray made a bed for myself.

John had a big, red nose and a very broad forehead, and his hair was thick and loose, but he had a very soft, clean face, with a healthy, almost cheerful laugh. He sat up very early in the morning, and I was glad to find that he had no trouble with his eyes.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but that didn't stop the feeling of anger he felt from making her feel. He'd never been in a fight before, but he'd tried to get a girlfriend as far back as he could remember. He couldn't remember any points in that game.

"Oh, you're right. I'm a bit immature, but I know it's not my fault. I don't want to take John in now," he said. "I'm a professional and he's a little drunk, but I'd rather be him."

"You're the same," Jane said. "But then I've seen your playing and you have a good game. I've seen you play your cards right. You could be the best fighter in the world. Where's your game?"

"You're wrong," John said. "I'm the best fighter in the world. It's the same game."

"I'm not going to play my cards until I'm 100 percent sure my opponent is all right," Jane said. "And then you're going to prove it. I'll be waiting for you after the fight."

"No, I'll wait for you before I give up."

"I understand," Jane said. "But I'm better than you are. You know that. You'll be better than me."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't care. He was already taking his vengeance, and he didn't want to get to the top of that hill.

And so Jane and John went their separate ways, and Jane had a daughter, with whom she never had any children. John lived in a small house on the grounds of his old friend's farm. It was a large room, with a big fireplace, a big round table, a huge bed, and a huge tablecloth. He had a big loaf of bread, which he fed to his wife every morning. It was a bed of blue linen, and it was very large.

John had a good wife very similar to his own, and they lived in the same house, but Jane had a daughter of her own, and they spent their time together.

Jane had always been very good, but John had never been so good. He had managed to hold a place in the army, and he had been promoted to sergeant-major after the war. He was a very quiet man. He had made his peace with the world, and he lived on his own, in a small house on the outskirts of town, with his wife and daughter.

I had a very remarkable story and a very strange way of doing things, and I made the best of it, and I die a happy man

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't do anything that was remotely serious. He seemed like a man who was trying to win the war for his own sake, and I'm sure he'd have beaten anybody at this job."

"Yeah, so the question is where did he get that reputation?"

"I'm not sure if it's true," Jane said, "that John is a guy whose wife is a nun."

"Why?"

"Because you have to believe in the whole thing," she said. "You've heard about John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy assassination, and the world is a much more dangerous place when you're looking at what's really going on."

"Oh, you mean like the human rights movement?"

"Well, not exactly, but it's pretty close."

"Well, who knows, maybe this is the way to get rid of his reputation."

"No, it's just my opinion," she said. "I don't believe John F. Kennedy is a guy who has to be nice. He's a loser. He's a tool of the Kennedy machine. And John F. Kennedy's wife, Mary, and his children, you may remember, have had a lot to do with him. So I think John F. Kennedy is a loser."

"That's still your opinion?"

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he forgot how to dodge, and he sent her flying down the stairs, smashing a glass light.

"You're not going to tell me what I did?" I asked. "I don't have anything to hide, I didn't do anything to you!"

"I tried all I had to," he sighed. "You can come and see me once I've got the lock back on the door."

I wasn't going to stay up all night to look at John's gaping insanity. I'd have to call him in when I got home.

"I'll see you then," he said, and he left me alone in the bedroom.

When I got out, I looked at John, and he looked back at me. He didn't laugh. He didn't smile. He didn't look upset. He seemed to be thinking, as he focused on the scratch on his chin, about his life and about combat.

He had gone through some real tests, both in combat and in mental health. I had never seen him so strong and so resilient.

I took my shirt off, and I looked down at my drenched shirt. It was an old Marine shirt, with the buttons cut off and the collar rolled up. I had seen it in the press. By chance, I had always worn it. It had drawn my attention on the street, where it was hanging over the window.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't even try to defend himself. And Jane had his arm out to grab him and throw him out.

"And I know that this is only a matter of time," she said, "but you are willing to have the best of friends?"

"A friend?"

"No, I mean a brother."

"Oh, what a brother. You've never been to see him, have you?"

"No, I have not."

"I have, or I would have been. I was born in New York, and it was quite a winter time, and I was a boy, and I had a little boy of my own."

"And you have a little boy now? How does that affect you?"

"I have a boy now," she said, "and I am in more danger than I ever was before. I don't know what I am doing, but it is not a pleasant predicament for me, and I cannot get away from it. I must have the best of friends, and I must have them to good advantage. I think I have a right to be afraid of them, and I must be afraid of myself."

"I think you have a right to be afraid of yourself," I replied. "You always have been, and you know it."

"I know it," she said. "And you must have it to advantage."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he just sat there with his mouth wide shut.

"You're an asshole."

He was a good-natured snicker, but he was not a gentleman. He had been over angry before and was not going to be quiet this time.

"What?"

"You're a snob!"

"No, I'm not. I'm just a bit old school. I'm sure you'll learn to get along with me. You're just as much a gentleman as I am."

He was dark; a man of a polished face and an air of smug superiority. Jane had always admired him. He had a manly figure, a sharp chin and a dry wit, but he could be serious when he needed to be. He had a voice that was full of contempt but could also be sweet, and his mannerisms were a little stiff, but he was a man of narrow-minded habits, and he had a good eye for "good looks." John was a man who liked to win, but he was no longer the man that he used to be. He was a man that was a gentleman, but he just never chose to be one.

"I'm glad you don't have to worry about it, John," said Jane. "It's out of sight and out of mind. We'll think of something else."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't react.

"She's right. I haven't been very good at handling a fight. I've been stuck with him, and I've had to defend myself."

"Well, there's no way I'm going to be able to help you with that," said John. "I've already said all I can. I owe you a lot, but I don't want to give up on you. And I know you don't mind that I've been put through this, but I don't want to give up on you either. I know you don't mind that I'm going to have to learn to live with my mistakes. But if I give up on you, then you'll have to give me another chance."

"You won't do that," said Jane bitterly. "You won't," and she beat him down again, and again.

"I don't think I'm going to give up on you anymore," he said, and he went over to his, and he offered her a cigarette. He was a smoker, and he'd never done it before.

"So do you, you know," said Jane. "I'll quit whenever you want me to. You have to see me out of this. By the way, why don't you drive me home?"

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I didn't hesitate to intervene.

"I was looking for a way out of that," I said. "More or less, as far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't be a member of the armed forces anymore. I think I'll be back to work."

"You're to make plans for your affairs, then," he said. "Besides, John, you might want to consider telling this family a thing or two about your life."

"I suppose," I said. "Then we'll see what happens."

I was standing in front of the house with Jane.

She knelt down beside me. Her eyes were blue and dark with tears, but they were just a little too bright for me. I thought this young lady had made a beautiful girl, but the fact remained that she wasn't a woman of simple worth.

"I should be glad to see you again," she said. "I was going to want to see you."

"I've been a long time thinking of you, Jane," I said. "I've got to think of you, but I don't think I've ever thought of you before."

"I'm glad to hear it, Mr. Hickey," she said. "You've been a good friend for a long time. I'll be glad to see you again."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't want to fall for it. Then he saw her in tears, and his heart sank.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Why am I still here?" she asked. "I mean, come on, you should have accepted that you were wrong, and you should have made it right."

"What did you tell me?" he asked. "You told me I was wrong. I have nothing against the woman."

"No," she said. "I just found out that she's a woman."

"No, she's not a woman," he said. "She's a woman of honor. I'm a man," he said, and she stopped him. "But that's not what I'm talking about when I say I'm a man. I mean, you're a tough man, and you've got your heart in the right place, and you're a strong man, too. But you're a man, and you've got a wife—and she thinks you're a gay man."

"I know her," she said. "I fell in love with her before I married her."

"I don't know what you mean, Polly," he said. "You were married to her before you knew her."

"And I fell in love with her before I knew her," she said. "I don't know why I didn't know it before."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but missed. There was a moment when he looked at me and said, "I don't take a chance on anything." Then he made a face and began to walk away.

It was a lesson I learned the hard way, and I've never regretted it.

It's no wonder John has been so good to me. After his first year in law school, he was a man of habit, and he's always been a good listener. He's a man of fairness, and I don't respect him for it.

One night in the office I heard the crack of a gun.

"I'm going in," said John, and we were all in our seats. "I'll be right back."

When we got out of the office, John was already as ready to leave as I was to go in. He had the same grin on his face, and he was ready to get back into the game.

In my head, I knew that if John was going to be a law clerk in the Third Ward, he would be a good clerk.

We sat down in his office during the week. I didn't want to get up early enough to get my phone out to him, but it was so dark that I couldn't look at the screen. I didn't know what to do, but I was glad to have his help.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but it wasn't a good hit. John began to sweat as he stared down Jane, and then the door swung open and a tall, dark man came out.

"I'm here to get you back home," he said, his eyes sharp and piercing. "You're all right, John."

"I'll go if he's patient," John said.

"He's made of steel, John. And he's a man of honor. It's not a matter of if he'll be patient, it's when, and that's the question," the man said.

"What is it, John?" John asked.

"Well, John, if you're asking me to be patient, I'm going to take the risk that I'll come back with you to your country."

"But how can I trust you?" John asked.

"Well," the man said, "I'm not your friend. I've just come from Germany. I'm a German immigrant, and that's how I came here. You don't know how bad it is here, John. It's a hell of a place, and I'm trying to get out. I must go."

"What is your name?" John asked.

"It is John," the man said, "and here I was trying to get out of my country."

"What did you do to me?" John asked.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but she didn't know that he was going to tell her how he felt about her.

"You're an idiot," she said, and she had the bravado of a defeated sailor. "You were always a good boy, though. You had a bright future ahead of you, and you knew how to keep it going. You were always a good boy, and you did it my way."

"You know, Jane," he said, "when we first met, I thought you were a good enough boy, but now I find I don't like to imagine you as a good enough man."

She smiled at him, she had so much more energy, she was more playful than I had seen since my life began. "I have nothing to prove to you, Mr. Malfoy. You don't know me, and you don't know me well. But you don't need to pretend to know me, I'm doing the same thing I always have done."

"We'll see about that, Jane," he said. He received her look with a glance of contempt. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you."

"I think you're right. You're a better man than you think you are."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he wasn't impressed. He was a good man, but he did not deserve this.

"I'm sorry, John."

"You're a good man, but you're not John. You're John's friend."

"John's friend?"

"Yes."

"I don't know what he's doing there."

"He's not John's friend. He's just his friend."

"What did you do to him?"

"He's got some friends, John, but he's got them all out. He's got everyone else, too."

"What about them? How many?"

"Seven or eight."

"And how many are there?"

"Seven or eight."

"What about them?"

"Two."

"And how many are there?"

"Two."

"Shall I march him down the street and beat him with a stick?"

"No."

"Tell your friend!"

"No."

"You'll have to find him."

"No."

"You'll have to find him in the hall."

"No."

"He'll sue you."

"No."

"He'll come to town and annoy me."

"No."

"You'll have to make him pay."

"No."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but she didn't explain why. She didn't give me an explanation. She just walked away. "You don't know, boy, that she was more than a little on edge about John. She had her own issues, too. But she never needed to be reminded of that, and she never had to do it again."

"He's not such a bad guy," Jane said.

"He's a very good guy," I said.

She sighed. "I've been the sworn enemy of him for a years time now, but it's probably the only time he's ever really been in my face."

"He never seemed to put his foot down when it came to her," I said. "He was always ready to shield her from the world, but he never came to her defense."

"At least he tried," she said. "I've never seen him do anything that might have gotten me out of bed at that hour."

"But he never did," I said.

"He's never done anything," she said. "He's an old man, but he's never stopped trying to play the role of an old man, and he never gave up. So, you know, I guess you could say I'm a little annoyed at this point."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he was an officer and he didn't have to retaliate. I just let him get away with it."

"But what about me?"

"I don't even know where I am. I'm sure my head is spinning, but I have a feeling it will be over before I see it."

"Well, it's not your head, is it?"

"No, it's not. It's mine."

"And you are going to get your revenge?"

"I suppose I will try. But I won't take it seriously."

"You're trying to make me laugh."

"No, I'm just trying to make you think. I'm not a big fan of crime, but I'll take it. You'll take it seriously and then you'll remember that you can live with yourself."

"And how do you know you're joking?"

"I've seen you in the dark before."

"I've seen you here before, and I've seen you there, too."

"You know what I'm talking about."

"And you're not going to let me pass?"

"I'll take you down with me. I'll take you down with me."

"You can't do that."

"I could do it."

"But I won't."

"That's how I like it."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I was too busy staring at my laptop. When he went down, I slipped back into my apartment and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning with my laptop clutched tightly in my hand. I looked at my phone and saw it was filled with texts from Jane. I couldn't read them, but I felt certain that I had texted her shortly before.

"That's an interesting one, John," she said. "I'm sure I didn't expect you to write back."

"No," I said. "I got the message."

"I got you a lot of stuff, John. And I don't think I'd be able to resist."

"I don't think I ever thought you would," I said. "It's hard to say when you're on the road, but you've been out a long time, and I never really knew you."

"Oh, you've been out a long time?" she said.

"Oh, yes," I said. "You know that. It's always been this way, as you know."

"It's not that I don't like it," she said. "It's just that I don't think I've ever known you that well."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but we were both trying to say something. The words were slurred, and a slight smirk appeared on Jane's face.

"John's back, and he's a good guy," she said, with a little flourish. "I'm glad he isn't behind bars.

"The thing is, I don't know what I would have done if I'd been a cop. I don't even know if I would have done anything at all."

"Well," said John, with a smooth wicked smile, "I'm not that guy."

"I think," said Jane with a sly grin, "that you and I are black. I know that you're not a cop, but you've got some black blood flowing through you."

"So I guess I'm black, too," I said.

"I mean, it would make sense," said Jane. "I'm not sure that I would have taken my own life any more easily than I have now."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he kept on trying to give her a hard time.

"This is a very strange thing to do with John," Jane said, "but when a man has a sister like me, he can't help but think of his sister more than himself. He is never able to do more than smile. It's so strange to see such a good man, who should really be a father himself, as merely a father figure to his sister. Oh, how I would like to cut him off right there!" She threw her hands in the air, and she laughed. "I am sure I shall be glad to see him again, when he has been sent to me."

"Are you sure it is your brother?" John demanded.

"It's the man who killed the young man. It is the man who killed the old man, too. I have known him for years. He is a good man, and he is a good brother, but the night he murdered the old man, I did not sleep for days. I mean to tell you, I have had a supernatural headache for quite some time." She turned to face the furniture. "I had a fright. It was the same night that the old man died; it was the same night that I took him out of the house."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he was a good man and had a good heart. It was a small thing, but it made a huge difference. He rewarded his loyalty with a fourth-degree beating and the arrest of a former associate, but it was as good a reward as I could imagine for killing an unarmed man."

"You're a good man, too," said Jane, "and you deserve a second chance to make up your mind. If you don't wish to catch him, you can become the first man to beat him senseless."

"And that is what I shall do," said John. "I will take my chances."

"You're so stupid," said Jane. "You knew I was going to kill you, and you were only too happy to oblige. You're just so sheltered."

"I hate to admit it," said John. "But I haven't caught any robbers. If I had, I would have killed the man in the barn before he could get away. Now I must find out who they are. I have no trouble finding out who they are. But then I must try to get your wife, Jane. She is not a spy."

"You want to kill her?"

"I would do it," said John. "But I haven't got anything. I have two wives, and they prefer it that way. If I could get her to do something for me, I would do it."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I didn't really care. I didn't have time to think about it.

I did have time to watch the final episode.

John's face lit up when he saw me, staring at him with wide eyes. He was a man who was always looking for a way to make sure that his new country was safe. It had been a long time since he had seen the Redcoat, but the Redcoat's good looks and his reputation suggested that he was a man worthy of respect. I had seen him once before, but he had never been my guest. I had seen him again, and I had seen him again again. I had watched him for a very long time, and I had seen him now. I was proud to have him as my guest, but when he had asked me to be his guest, I had refused.

"Jane, I will be your guest," John had said. "I'll be your guest, and I'll be your friend."

"But I can't make myself your friend," Jane had said. "I don't think I can. And you can't make me your partner, either."

"You can't make me your partner," John had said again, with more conviction than I had ever seen him. "I would rather have you as my companion."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but it was all the more brutal because she had a lot of experience with him. She wanted to humiliate him even more than she had humiliated Jane. That was the true motive of her action.

"I've been looking for John for months now," she said. "I can't find him. He's a great fellow and a great friend to me. I like him as a fellow and as a friend, and I'd do anything to have him with me."

"What do you want him to do?" I asked. "He's been with Jane for a long time. I know he's much better off with her."

"He's certainly better off with me," she answered. "My only regret is that I don't think we can live together."

"You think he can?"

"Well, he's very generous with money," she said. "If he wanted to let me borrow a few days' money he'd do it."

"Well, I suppose he could," I said. "I don't think he wants to live with me. He would rather have me be his wife."

"But the idea of living together, if it had any appeal to him, is remote."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but John was cold and steady. I was a bit surprised when Jane decided to take off her clothes and lay on her back. Her nipples were hard under her swim trunks, and she practically burst out laughing at John's eagerness to take her places. Soon she was completely naked, and John was a good half-step away from kissing her and tearing her clothes off before he had even finished. I was so busy watching him wrest her clothes off that I didn't even notice the necklace she wore around her neck.

"John," Jane whispered into my ear, her voice low, "how is your wife?"

I turned to face her, and John was just a couple of feet away. "She's fine. She's getting her sleep."

"She's fine," Jane echoed, "but she needs to get some rest."

I was just about to put my hand on her waist and lift her hips off the bed when John stopped me. He looked down at her, and I saw the first twinge of something warming up under one of her nipples. He pulled away and looked at Jane, his eyes shining with lust. He looked back at me, and when he did, he grinned, and he seemed to be enjoying himself too.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked.

"No, I don't want to," I said.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but I saw no sign of a scratch. Then I saw his face and he was sobbing, his lips drawn back in his head. I saw his eyes roll down his beard, and I knew he had a headache.

"I'll take it," Jane said, "but if it's any consolation, I'm having a good time tonight."

John crawled over to me, and I jumped up to help him up. He was still staring at his face, but he was crying too. "I can't move," he sobbed.

"Don't cry," Jane said gently, and then she leaned over and kissed him. "Good night, John."

I was glad to have Jane's help, but there was no reason for him to have been so hard on me. I had had enough of it.

"I'll have you know," she said to me, "that I do, in fact, believe that it is the right thing to do for your father to go to the police. I have no doubt that it is his self-preservation that will make him so determined to keep his promises.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he didn't move.

"You're a good boy, you know that. But I think you've grown a bit."

John felt angry and hot, and Jane looked up and down again, looking all the more suspicious.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Jane," she said. "I didn't tell you my real name."

"No, I don't know any better," he said. "I've had a lot of friends."

"I don't know, John."

"Is anybody else there?"

The smell was so strong that John swallowed hard and his eyes began to sting.

"Is anybody else there?" he repeated, his face red.

"The Cross is there," she said. "And he has nothing on his back."

"In the air?"

"Yes. He's flying over the mountains."

She nodded.

"Then he's got his wings and his tail."

"No," he said. "He's got his legs. I'll show him."

"There's no time."

"No, John. Let's go."

John seemed to be about to go, when he heard the sound of a scuffle in the garden.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he did the same to me and then to her.

"I think I did the best I could," he said in his monotone. "You're a great guy."

"You're a great guy too," I answered.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered. "I'll go home and write something up. You look after me."

"You don't need to do anything," he replied. "I'll just be a good boy and leave you to your own devices."

"I suppose I'll leave you to your own devices," I said. "I'll write something up."

"If you write something up," he said, "I'll make it up."

"I can't trust myself to write something up," I said. "I'm too young."

"I don't think you'll be too old, anyway," he said. "But I think you will find some way to keep up with a good story, and you will probably find it interesting. I don't think I could care less about you."

I smiled and shook my head.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

"Did you actually want to fight him?"

"Why should I?"

"When he's so much better than me. Do you really think you would have won?"

I had to admit, I was very reluctant to flip that switch. I couldn't afford to be seen as too soft on John.

"Why would I?"

"You're the only one I know who's capable of beating him up. You're the only one who knows how to win. You know how to make him feel as though he knows he's beaten you. You know how to make him feel as though he's beaten you. You can beat him in a duel. You can kill him."

There was a moment of silence. Then he sighed and stepped back into the spotlight.

"Take it easy," he said, stretching the yawns out a little more. "I'm scared. I'm scared of being beaten up by him. I'm scared about what he might do if he finds me again. And I'm scared that I got him as far as I did because I'm really good at all of them."

"So you're not a fool," said Jane. "You're not the victim of passion, and you're not the coward who snapped."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but John shrugged and stood up. He looked around the room, as if he was going to leave and never come back.

"I think I'll go and see my wife," John said. "I've got a real problem with losing my wife."

"You have?" Jane said. "You say that to me every day. You're afraid that she'll leave me if I go."

"I don't know," he said, "but I do know that she'll never come back. I don't care which way we're going. I don't care what she's done. I want nothing more than to be with her, to be with her, to be with her. I don't want to see her be alone."

"Oh," Jane said. "You're sure you don't want to see her go?"

"No," he said, "but I'm not sure I want to lose her either."

"But you are sure you don't want to lose her?" she asked.

"I'm sure I'm sure," he said. "I'm sure she'd never leave me. She's my wife, she loves me, and she'll never leave me. But I'm sure she'll go, and she'll go soon. I'll find her. I'll go and find her."

"When?" Jane called to him.

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but she wasn't angry at him. She just wanted to get her money out of him.

"I'm just glad you didn't kill him," John said, and he looked down at his wallet. "That would have been the easiest way to get all of your money out."

"I'm not saying you didn't kill him," said Jane. "But you didn't do it on purpose."

"Didn't really mean to," said John. "I'm a pretty good dresser, and I liked it better than my suit, but I didn't think it looked very flattering."

"It did," said Jane. "It was a pretty set piece anyway. And you were pretty brave for it. I had to beat you in a duel, and you looked like you had a lot to drink."

"Yes, I was drunk, and you wanted to keep me down," said John, and Jane let out a laugh. "I thought it was a good idea to beat you, but I wasn't very strong, and it was a little rough; but I know you put up with me."

"I never think I ever put up with you," said Jane, "but you did for me."

"That's true," said John. "It was a very good fight."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but he stood his ground. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. He was so nice to me, and I knew it was for the best. He was also so good at making my house look like an attic.

He had just gone to bed when he woke up. He was dressed in a black suit with his hair in a ponytail, and his eyes were pale and sinister. He was a man of the world, with a nose that looked like a glass of brandy. He had a very large frame, and his face was full of purpled, scarred teeth and a beard that looked like a bull's nose. His face was a canvas of troubled scar tissue, and I could see him getting up in the morning to shave his nose off.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I thought that was the last thing I'd do."

"You're too polite," I said. "You're a very good man, but you don't seem to be in that condition. I remember how you looked after me when I was sick, and it seems a little strange to throw your nose into a quarrel.

"But why did you come here with me?"

"I wanted to see you," he said. "I thought that you would have been happy to see me if I didn't want to leave."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but she was angry too. Ron might have been following his lead, but he had other plans. His concern was that the girl was going to go to see the doctor, which was why he had come down to the basement last night.

"'Mister Malone, you were right," said Ron, "I should have never been so mean to you." He was a professional, and he knew that he was bound to lose his temper. "You went down to the basement last night, because I had plans for you. You were looking for a place for your little brother to play," he added with a smile. "And you were about to meet the doctor."

"Sally, you're the first person to tell me not to speak to you," I said, "but I don't want to hear about it again. I never expect anything from you, and I have no business to be talking to you."

"I never want to be talked to," said Sally, "but I'll tell you one thing. When I saw you lying there in the basement last night, I always thought that you were some sort of madman. There are no such things as madmen. I've heard that you're a cannibals, and I've heard that you're a gambler. I don't want to hear about it again."

"You wouldn't want to hear about it," I said, "would you?"

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but John said he was fine, so I explained that he was drunk and was shaking.

"Now, I understand that you're a little tired, but it's a pretty intense fight," I said. "It's a case of see you later. I'm just glad you're back home."

"I'm trying to catch up," he said. "I had a little round of golf."

"Well, you're not going to see me again."

"I don't think so," he said. "I'm just hoping you can carry on. I'm sorry."

"It's a good thing it's just a little round of golf, otherwise I'd have a reasonable case of the old golf-stick effect."

"Oh, I understand," he said. "But that's a different story. I'm fine. And, as you can see, I'm completely relaxed, if a little too relaxed." He immediately threw his head back and looked up at me. "Now, I didn't mean to do this, but I can't help feeling that I owe you something."

"What?" I said.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"You were," I said. "But you know what I meant. I left your boy alone."

I really don't like choosing a side when my friends get into a fight. I absolutely hate drama, but today I couldn't avoid it. Jane slapped John right across the face, but John wasn't angry, he just wanted to hold his nose. "No, I don't mean that," he said, trying to wipe his nose. It was as if he was trying to turn a nose.

"This is ridiculous," said Jane. "It's only fantasy, John. And that's what I'm going to call it. It's no joke, either. It's a lot of fun. I've got quite the story to tell, you know. I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve, I'll give you that."

"I don't think you'll need them," said John. "You'll have your own thing up your sleeve. You'll have your own way of getting along with people. You'll have your own way of handling business. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little afraid I'll be the end of it. I'm afraid you'll end up as a rival of my own. I don't like that. You wouldn't like that."

"But you're a friend of mine, John. I'll take you in as I'm able. You'll be a friend to me, if you think you can make a deal."

"Oh, sure," said John. "But I don't want to be friends with you."